I’m finally setting some time aside to write about something I’ve been wanting to write about forever — Sasquatch!
When we first got on the road, things were looking a little sketchy. It seemed like my car was on the verge of breaking down and we kept hitting obstacles on our way there. There was a ridiculous storm happening for most of the drive but once we passed the windmills and got closer to the gorge, the clouds parted and the sun peeked through. Due to the amount of obstacles that got in our way, it took us way longer than it should’ve to get there — we left Vancouver at 8am and got there at midnight (it’s supposed to be a 6 hour drive…I guess that’s what happens when you travel with 13 people in a convoy).
Once we got set up and started the next day off fresh, everything seemed brighter. The day was sunny and warm, everyone was happy and we had a full day – and weekend – of concerts ahead of us. The first day, we saw plenty of bands but the one that stuck out the most for me was The National. I had never seen them before and their concert blew me away! I watched them from afar (somewhere in the middle of the hill) sitting with my group of friends. It was perfect with the sun setting in the distance behind the stage. I felt really moved at this moment. I remember thinking, “the money I spent to get here was definitely worth it already.” This was my first music festival. Music festivals are like a music lover’s dream come true. You’re like a kid in a candy store. I felt giddy most of the time.
The two bands I enjoyed the most on the second day were Caribou and Massive Attack. Caribou played really early. Dan Snaith and his band were basically one of the first to play that day. Once again, the atmosphere seemed perfect for the music. It was kind of warm but there was a constant breeze that kept the whole experience cool. While Caribou was playing “Sun” and the wind was blowing, I felt true euphoria.
Massive Attack had a crazy light show with written blurbs throughout the entire thing. They had a multitude of talented musicians playing with them, Martina Topley-Bird being one of them. I love her voice. She joined them for “Teardop” (just like this performance on Jimmy Kimmel) and it was mesmerizing. Massive Attack headlined so they played at night. At first, I thought there were bats flying around their lights but it turned out those large confused flying creatures fluttering into the lights were just really big moths (they were really big!).
The last night, I went to see Boys Noize. He started his set with “Jeffer” and I went nuts! I hadn’t danced that hard in…I don’t know how long. It reminded me of when my friends and I would take Vancouver by storm and show everyone around us how to dance. It felt so good to dance that hard again.
There were lots of other bands I saw during the festival that I really liked as well but these four were the ones that stuck out the most in my opinion.
Looking back on it now, I felt really free at Sasquatch.
The National – Anyone’s Ghost
Caribou – Sun
